The clock has rolled to November, teams are returning for pre-season, and the fixtures are just over a week away from being released.

There is still plenty of water to flow under the bridge between now and the opening of Round 1 in Las Vegas, but there is no time like the present, so we asked our Zero Tackle team, from founder and editor to all of our writers and contributors, to let us know where they see the ladder landing in 2027.

Here are the predictions.

Lee Addison

1. Penrith Panthers
2. South Sydney Rabbitohs
3. New Zealand Warriors
4. Newcastle Knights
5. The Dolphins
6. Cronulla Sharks
7. Brisbane Broncos
8. Sydney Roosters
9. Manly Sea Eagles
10. North Queensland Cowboys
11. Melbourne Storm
12. Canterbury Bulldogs
13. Parramatta Eels
14. Perth Bears
15. Wests Tigers
16. Canberra Raiders
17. St George Illawarra Dragons
18. Gold Coast Titans

Penrith are still the benchmark. They have the strongest development system in the competition, an established winning culture and enough depth to remain a genuine premiership threat. Even with some important personnel changes and potential early-season injury concerns, I find it difficult to leave them out of the top two.

South Sydney are my big improvers. The addition of Payne Haas gives them an enormous forward pack, and with Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker, Jack Wighton and Cameron Murray, they have enough quality and experience to challenge anyone. If they get their combinations right and stay relatively healthy, I think they could be the team to beat.

The Warriors, Newcastle and Dolphins should all be competitive again, while Cronulla and Brisbane have enough quality to make the eight. I'm particularly interested in how the Roosters go after their premiership success. Losing so much experience and strike power makes a repeat performance difficult, although Trent Robinson's coaching ability means I wouldn't write them off.

Manly, North Queensland and Melbourne are my just-misses, with the Bulldogs another team I think could go either way. Further down, I think the Perth Bears will be competitive enough to avoid the wooden spoon, but building combinations in an inaugural season is a significant challenge. The Dragons and Titans are my two biggest concerns, with the Titans finishing last.

Matt Clements

1. The Dolphins
2. Penrith Panthers
3. New Zealand Warriors
4. Newcastle Knights
5. South Sydney Rabbitohs
6. Melbourne Storm
7. Parramatta Eels
8. St George Illawarra Dragons
9. Manly Sea Eagles
10. Sydney Roosters
11. Cronulla Sharks
12. North Queensland Cowboys
13. Brisbane Broncos
14. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
15. Canberra Raiders
16. Wests Tigers
17. Gold Coast Titans
18. Perth Bears

I've got the Dolphins taking out the minor premiership. They were only one win off top spot in 2026, and a similar season could be enough if Penrith and the Warriors give a little ground. Newcastle showed what they could do from seventh last year, and I'm backing them to turn that finals run into a top-four finish.

Payne Haas gives Souths a lift through the middle, while I've got Melbourne bouncing back into the eight.

I'm backing Parramatta and the Dragons to take the last two spots in the eight. Jarome Luai gives the Eels another proven playmaker alongside Mitchell Moses, while Scott Drinkwater and Luke Metcalf give the Dragons more threat with the ball and Keaon Koloamatangi strengthens their middle.

Going from the spoon to eighth is my biggest call, but there's enough talent coming in to get them there. I've got the defending premiers slipping to tenth after losing experience across the park, with the uncertainty around Sam Walker adding to an already unsettled off-season.

Kye Ferreira

1. Penrith Panthers
2. The Dolphins
3. Sydney Roosters
4. Melbourne Storm
5. Newcastle Knights
6. South Sydney Rabbitohs
7. St George Illawarra Dragons
8. Canterbury Bulldogs
9. New Zealand Warriors
10. Brisbane Broncos
11. Cronulla Sharks
12. Parramatta Eels
13. Manly Sea Eagles
14. North Queensland Cowboys
15. Canberra Raiders
16. Wests Tigers
17. Gold Coast Titans
18. Perth Bears

I expect the Cronulla Sharks and the New Zealand Warriors to drop off this season to miss the eight. The Sharks have lost a lot of experience and are expected to debut some young players. The club could experience turbulence playing younger players consistently and there are other teams that have added significant amount of depth.

The Warriors have gone to ninth in my prediction because they have signed injury prone players in their outside backs and their experience has depleted sightly, which has been relied on since Webster took out. Relying on a Boyd/Te Maire Martin and Harris-Tavita combination as your halves without a x-factor in play like a Luke Metcalf could hurt this side during the season.

Melbourne and the Dragons saw rises given their talent at the clubs respectively. If the Storm can adjust their attack to let their star players have creative freedom and the Dragons have health on their side, these two clubs could make the eight.

Brisbane still miss out on the finals in my early predictions given uncertainty around their halves and the impact of not having Payne Haas on a permanent basis.

Parramatta is still the biggest question to me despite being a fan of the club. Jarome Luai, Spencer Leniu and Jaydn Su'A are massive additions to this club, with the talent, worth ethic, they know what it's like to play winning football over the last five years and this club needs anybody that believes that their talent can make a difference.

Defensively for the Eels is still a looming area of concern after seeing Leniu and Junior Paulo leaking points at the most crucial point in the game for Samoa. Ryles rotations from a interchange point of view, how they will inject Leniu into the game offensively and Luai's exact attacking involvement have a lot of upside when it all clicks, but they all also have a lot of negative swing that has been seen over the last few seasons, given Luai and Leniu are unique rhythm and flow players in the current mould of the rugby league game.

Bella Gillespie

1. Penrith Panthers
2. New Zealand Warriors
3. Newcastle Knights
4. The Dolphins
5. South Sydney Rabbitohs
6. St George Illawarra Dragons
7. Melbourne Storm
8. Canberra Raiders
9. Cronulla Sharks
10. Sydney Roosters
11. Brisbane Broncos
12. North Queensland Cowboys
13. Manly Sea Eagles
14. Canterbury Bulldogs
15. Parramatta Eels
16. Gold Coast Titans
17. Perth Bears
18. West Tigers

My 2027 predictions have some big talking points, with the New Zealand Warriors finishing second, Newcastle Knights breaking into the top three and the Dolphins rounding out the top four.

I'm backing Penrith to return to the top of the competition, with their established core and experience making them difficult to beat. Newcastle's third-place finish, with the combination of Kalyn Ponga and Dylan Brown potentially making them one of the most dangerous attacking sides in the competition.

Perhaps my biggest surprise is St George Illawarra finishing sixth after collecting the wooden spoon in 2026. The Dragons could be one of the biggest improvers following an impressive recruitment period, headlined by Keaon Koloamatangi, Scott Drinkwater, Luke Metcalf, Kodi Nikorima, Phillip Sami and Connor Watson.

At the other end of the ladder, I've tipped Brisbane to finish 11th following the departures of Payne Haas and Adam Reynolds, while Cronulla narrowly miss the finals in ninth.

South Sydney finishing fifth is another on, with Payne Haas' arrival strengthening their forward pack. Wests Tigers are my wooden spoon favourites, with Perth Bears finishing 17th in their inaugural season as they adjust to the demands of an expanded competition. I expect both new combinations and squad depth to be tested throughout the season.

Magdalena Murdoch

1. Penrith Panthers
2. The Dolphins
3. Newcastle Knights
4. New Zealand Warriors
5. Melbourne Storm
6. Sydney Roosters
7. St George Illawarra Dragons
8. Parramatta Eels
9. Manly Sea Eagles
10. Cronulla Sharks
11. Canterbury Bulldogs
12. South Sydney Rabbitohs
13. Brisbane Broncos
14. North Queensland Cowboys
15. Canberra Raiders
16. Gold Coast Titans
17. Wests Tigers
18. Perth Bears

I have Penrith, the Dolphins and Newcastle leading the way in 2027, with all three having plenty to be optimistic about. Ivan Cleary's farewell, Penrith's settled spine and competition for places in their halves make the Panthers my early premiership favourites.

The Dolphins' fortunes will hinge on their halves selections, particularly choosing Kurt Donoghoe over George Williams. Newcastle have shown their resilience by reaching the Grand Final despite setbacks, and I expect further improvement under Justin Holbrook with Kalyn Ponga committed until 2030.

The Warriors remain strong with Tanah Boyd's return, while Melbourne's recruits Jamayne Isaako and Bronson Xerri should provide a boost. I also expect the Storm to use Craig Bellamy's likely final season as motivation.

The Roosters' representative star power should keep them competitive, although backline changes and uncertainty surrounding Sam Walker could prove disruptive. The Dragons have impressed with their recruitment, but may not yet be ready for the top four. Parramatta have no excuses with Jarome Luai and Spencer Leniu arriving. Manly and Cronulla could disappoint, while the Bulldogs, Rabbitohs and Broncos have questions around their halves and consistency.

At the bottom, I expect the Cowboys, Raiders and Titans to struggle, with the Tigers difficult to predict. The Perth Bears are my wooden spoon favourites, with building a competitive inaugural squad likely to prove difficult.

Dan Nichols

1. The Dolphins
2. Penrith Panthers
3. New Zealand Warriors
4. South Sydney Rabbitohs
5. Sydney Roosters
6. Newcastle Knights
7. Cronulla Sharks
8. St George Illawarra Dragons
9. Canberra Raiders
10. Manly Sea Eagles
11. Melbourne Storm
12. Brisbane Broncos
13. Gold Coast Titans
14. Parramatta Eels
16. North Queensland Cowboys
17. Wests Tigers
18. Perth Bears

The Dolphins look like the team to beat (in the regular season) next year. I expect them to go up another level or two on the back of their Prelim loss in 2026.

The Dragons are the big movers after a brilliant recruitment drive. I can't see them threatening the top four but they'll be too good for many other sides. The Sharks, Raiders, Manly and Melbourne will be in the battle for the lower top eight spots.

The Tigers are lucky the Bears now exist

Scott Pryde

1. Penrith Panthers
2. South Sydney Rabbitohs
3. New Zealand Warriors
4. The Dolphins
5. Newcastle Knights
6. Melbourne Storm
7. Sydney Roosters
8. Cronulla Sharks
9. St George Illawarra Dragons
10. Manly Sea Eagles
11. Brisbane Broncos
12. Canterbury Bulldogs
13. Canberra Raiders
14. Parramatta Eels
15. Gold Coast Titans
16. North Queensland Cowboys
17. Wests Tigers
18. Perth Bears

I have the Panthers as the team to beat in 2027, but the Rabbitohs should be the ones to give them a serious run for their money.

The Warriors, Dolphins and Knights will hang around, while the Melbourne Storm should bounce back. Defending premiers the Roosters will drop, but not to the extent they miss the finals, while I have the Sharks edging out my Dragons for the final top eight spot.

It's tough to see too much improvement out of a majority of the sides further down the table, but no current side will take out the bottom spot, with the Bears unbackable favourites there.

Samuel Sartori

1. Penrith Panthers
2. New Zealand Warriors
3. The Dolphins
4. Newcastle Knights
5. Melbourne Storm
6. South Sydney Rabbitohs
7. Sydney Roosters
8. St George Illawarra Dragons
9. Cronulla Sharks
10. Manly Sea Eagles
11. Brisbane Broncos
12. Canterbury Bulldogs
13. Parramatta Eels
14. Canberra Raiders
15. North Queensland Cowboys
16. Wests Tigers
17. Gold Coast Titans
18. Perth Bears

The Penrith Panthers are set for a final fairytale season under coach Ivan Cleary as they go in search of yet another premiership to add to this incredible dynasty they have been able to create in the modern era of the NRL. With it being the last season for Brian To'o and the future of many other stars not concrete, it could be a massive year for the boys from Penrith.

The Warriors, Dolphins and Knights all showed their promise making the pointy end of the season in 2026 - with the way all three of these teams bowed out I believe they will be fueled to right their wrongs to take that next step in season 2027.

Every season there are always two to three teams who drop out of the finals and this year I believe that those teams will be the Sharks and the Cowboys - taking those spots will be the Storm putting themselves back in the equation, and the Dragons to end their finals-drought on the back of their successful recruitment drive.

The teams placed 9th to 13th all have some big questions they need to find answers heading into 2027.

The Bears simply have just not built a roster to compete week in week out and they will struggle - but not as poorly as some are predicting.

Leo Twemlow

1. Penrith Panthers
2. South Sydney Rabbitohs
3. New Zealand Warriors
4. The Dolphins
5. Newcastle Knights
6. Sydney Roosters
7. St George Illawarra Dragons
8. Melbourne Storm
9. Manly Sea Eagles
10. Cronulla Sharks
11. Parramatta Eels
12. Canberra Raiders
13. Brisbane Broncos
14. North Queensland Cowboys
15. Gold Coast Titans
16. Canberra Raiders
17. Perth Bears
18. Wests Tigers

The Panthers will return with a massive season after falling short of expectations two years in a row. With Casey McLean only getting better with age, Cleary doing his thing, along with Isaah Yeo calling the shots, they will always be in with a chance.

Rabbitohs will be strong all season, largely thanks to their engine room and the inclusion of Payne Haas.

Meanwhile, the Bears will struggle in their first year, with their first-choice roster a solid lineup, but after injuries and suspensions settle in, they will begin to feel the stretch in their squad.

Tigers will go backwards from 2026, and despite fresh signings in Jake Averillo and Tyson Frizell firing, they won't be able to land any big blows.